DEREK CHISORA wants to bash Oleksandr Usyk for daring to come up to his heavyweight domain – and the bookies for counting him out.
Despite Usyk’s little Ukraine gym-mate Vasiliy Lomachenko getting dominated to a shock defeat by bigger and stronger Teofimo Lopez two weekends ago, Del Boy remains the longshot.
The twinkling toes and gap-toothed smile of the undefeated, undisputed cruiserweight champion are supposed to outshine the 18st warhorse to a landslide points win.
But 36-year-old ‘War’ and manager David Haye have a horrorshow gameplan prepared for the Halloween fight night and plan to upset the bobbing-apple cart.
While Usyk is going to rely on his juggling skills, his maths equations, his southpaw stance and his Olympic-winning skills, Chisora is going to create chaos.
Here are five ways Chisora can win…
Team Usyk’s self-doubt?
Loma and Usyk train side-by-side in Ukraine and follow the teachings of Loma’s father Anatoly Lomachenko.
But their blueprint for success, that allows smaller men to rise above their weight class and defeat bigger boys, was just ripped up by a 23-year-old kid.
That reality check was just two weeks ago, Loma is still nursing the bumps and bruises from his Icarus efforts. Usyk must wonder if he has aimed a bit too high too?
Chisora’s new-found power
For the middle chunk of Chisora’s rollercoaster career he was seen as a rock-hard plodder who marched forward at a predictable pace and was found out at elite level.
But since a controversial points loss to Dillian Whyte in 2016 seemed to resurrect his career and interest.
Defects have still happened but Chisora has become a fan-pleasing powerhouse by poleaxing Carlos Takam, Artur Szpilka and David Price in the last two years and he always insists ‘retirement is for p***ies’.
That slow start
When Usyk visited the UK to face Tony Bellew in November 2018, the Everton hero was given little chance.
But four rounds in the British reporters and fans at ringside suddenly believed their man could pull it off – until he couldn’t and was stopped in the seventh.
Another thing Loma and Usyk have in common is they start slowly to work out their opponent.
Chisora will be handed the momentum – can the 18st veteran brawler still run with it?
Usyk’s lack of power
The cruiserweight limit is 14st 4lbs. That is where Usyk reigned but only two of his last five fights down there ended early.
When Bellew was cleaned out by a left hook, he insisted he was exhausted from Usyk’s marvellous movement and his power was nothing special.
Michael Hunter, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev all went the full course with the southpaw and Chisora has a more proven chin than those fellas, at this weight.
History is against U-syk
Only David Haye and Evander Holyfield have ever become cruiserweight and then heavyweight world champion.
And while this is not for a world title – and Chisora is more gatekeeper than belt holder – he is a stern test.
There is a reason why elite cruiserweights like Carlos de Leon, John Marc Mormeck and O’Neil Bell tried and failed to make the step, it is a land of the giants.
And the most tedious old adage in boxing ends up ringing the most true; a good big’un always beats a good little’un.
